westerdam2

Starts at post no 18 here: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/119583-seat-memory/page__p__1517626__hl__superb%20seat%20memory__fromsearch__1entry1517626 hth

Can't you get them to send the ship up to Stornoway to pick you up? You could always pop into the local internet cafe and keep us posted! And just remember we'll know your exact position from this http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=235009850 Best wishes and good sailing

Well thanks - what a bargain Just discovered, having ploughed through endless pages on Thomas Cook's website that their credit card charge is 2.5% and not 2% as I thought. The £50 limit still applies. I'm determined to see if I can get a ruling on this. It will keep my mind off not being on that lovely ship tonight!

The tour operator cancelled (at 12 hours notice before departure!) because the associated scheduled flights to the USA for connection with the cruise liner weren't operating. Will give CAB a buzz although I'm rapidly using up the 50 quid with all these 0845 numbers

Oh dear, have I opened up a can of worms with this one? Might become an election issue There is no reference to the refunding of credit card charges (or not) in any of the Conditions of Booking etc. Just called Consumer Direct. They thought the charge should be refunded in full because the cancellation was not of my making and therefore I should not be out of pocket as a result. Short of knowing all the conditions of contracts between the travel agent (I name Thomas Cook) the tour operator (Princess Cruises) and the operator's arrangements with the airline (Virgin) I'm still confused! 'Interesting situation' is the general observation received so far, especially when so many people may be affected. Hence my curiosity to see if any Brisky members can provide a precedent. Thanks the comments so far

Correct! It was an expensive holiday(!) and the normal credit card charge by the travel agent is 2%. However they cap the charge at £50 (which I would have got back with cash back in any case). With the holiday cost now refunded, I'll lose that cash back on the total. Is this a nice little earner for someone?

Curious to know if anyone has ever had a refund made to their credit card. If so, was the original charge for using a credit card refunded as well as the amount for the goods/services? Just had a full refund (whew!) for our cancelled holiday due to some volcano or other. The holiday was booked through a travel agent who added a £50 charge because I paid by credit card. The tour operator has refunded the full cost of the holiday via the travel agent but the travel agent isn't refunding its £50 charge. Not the greatest worry in the world at the moment but interested to know if this is standard procedure.

No longer have my Elegance so can't check it out for you and having to work from memory. If they are electric, they are probably resetting themselves to one of the positions in the memory. This is controlled by the ignition - (can't remember if it happens when it is switched on or when it is switched off). What may be happening is that you are adjusting the seat to your position manually but not entering that position into the memory - hence the mysterious readjustment. There are detailed instructions in the handbook on how to put your choice into the memory. I think there are 3 presets in the memory for different drivers. hth

If you have booked a 'package' holiday ie flights + hotel (say) as one deal there are special regulations which mean you should get a refund on the whole amount, even if it is only the flight that is cancelled. If you booked via a travel agent then the refund authorisation will be sent by the tour operator to the travel agent (normally takes around 7 days). If you paid the travel agent for the package by credit card then the amount of the refund will be credited by the travel agent back to your credit card. If you booked the flights and Florida hotels separately (say on the internet) with a credit card then you might only get a refund on the flights as the overseas hotels are an' innocent' party and probably not covered by the protection offered by the credit card under British legislation. Much would depend on the goodwill of the overseas hotels etc providing a refund. Travel insurance is proving to be tricky as some policies cover cancellation due to 'weather conditions'. Others are claimimg that volcanic ash is a force majeur and not covered. Might be worthwhile checking the small print in your policy. Don't be tempted to take out new insurance if you are not covered because the 'problem' is now a known hazard and therefore likely to be excluded from new policies taken out after last Wednesday. Hope this helps and you have no problems.

No expert but a 747- 400 has a range of under 5,000 miles. London - LA is 5,500 miles. The specially adapted 747 - 400 ER can fly non- stop for around 7,700 miles. If I remember correctly, a large aircraft uses around one third of its fuel on take off and reaching it's normal cruising height. It then becomes much more efficient because of prevailing winds etc. (that's why it takes around 50 minutes longer to fly to Miami from London than on the return leg). The problem at the moment is there is virtually nowhere in Europe for them to take off! And should an emergency occur they must maintain sufficient fuel to reach a suitable (and open) diversion airport. Lots of factors to be taken into consideration......

Apart from the noise factor, there would be a huge reduction in the available number of slots on the flight paths. And long distance eg transatlantic wouldn't happen because aircraft need to fly for as long as possible at their efficient cruising height. They would run out of fuel long before they reached the other side of the Atlantic if they stayed at 7000 feet. And transatlantic planes on the polar routes aren't going to refuel in Iceland...............

Thanks for the sympathy The worst bit this morning was unpacking the 4 suitcases which had taken days to organise! At least we're stuck at home - and getting a full refund of over £5K. I'm reallly sorry for those stuck abroad whose insurance is not covering the additional costs.

So that's it then. After 3 days of hoping everything would be ok, plans dashed a few minutes ago when advised that hols beginning tomorrow morning were cancelled. No flights Glasgow to Heathrow and flight Heathrow - Miami now not operating. Cruise ship sails Monday without us So if anybody is looking for a deluxe penthouse suite with 2 loos, 2 plasmas, huge balcony, free ensuite bar etc for 18 days to cross the Atlantic and then sail through the Mediterranean, then I know one that's going to be vacant...................

Thanks! My bargain seems to have got even better. Just found an old web page from around Christmas when the store had the machine listed for £699 (not £599 as one of the old price tickets indicated). So £299 for my purchase seems good (especially with the 2 year free guarantee)! I think I've still got XP installation discs from my old desktop. Wil dig them out when we return from 18 days bobbing on the oceans

John Cacavas & Hal David - Bluebird I thank you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0oTtvcmREkYoutube confirmation!

1. Thanks, but no thanks 2. Thanks!

Strolled into John Lewis this afternoon having been round the net all morning looking for a bargain laptop. Reluctant to spend £600+ when I spied a little J L shelf with ad hoc reductions. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw an all singing and dancing Dell Studio 15.6 in laptop (complete with 2 year guarantee). Because it had Vista and not Windows 7 as the OS it was reduced from £599 to............£299! And I got the carrying case for half price! SOLD Expect reports from the huge suite balcony on the good ship 'Ruby Princess' from next Sunday when we set sail for 18 days on a transatlantic/Mediterranean cruise. And we don't have to pay for the wireless or satellite charges

Remember men often retire at 60 but don't get the state pension until 65. Also, mothers who stay at home and have a working partner will (I think!) also be classified as 'economically inactive'.

Here's the official definition for 'Economically Inactive' The economically inactive population comprises all persons who were neither "employed" nor "unemployed" during the short reference period used to measure "current activity". This population is split into four groups: - Attendant at educational institutions; - Retired; - Engaged in family duties; - Other economically inactive

'Women try to take dead body onto plane at Liverpool' Did they get it past security? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8604663.stm

50°F People in Southern England turn on the central heating People in Edinburgh plant out bedding plants 40°F Southerners shiver uncontrollably Glaswegians sunbathe on the beach at Largs 35°F Cars in the South of England refuse to start People in Falkirk drive with their windows down 20°F Southerners wear overcoats, gloves and woolly hats Aberdonian men throw on a t-shirt; girls start wearing mini-skirts 15°F Southerners begin to evacuate to the continent People from Dundee swim in the River Tay at Broughty Ferry 0°F Life in the South grinds to a halt Inverness folk have the last BBQ before it gets cold -10°F Life in the South ceases to exist People in Dunfermline throw on a light jacket -80°F Polar bears wonder if it's worth carrying on Boy Scouts in Oban start wearing their long trousers -100°F Santa Claus abandons North Pole People in Stirling put on their 'long johns' -173°F Alcohol freezes Glaswegians get upset because all the pubs are shut -297°F Microbial life starts to disappear The cows in Dumfriesshire complain about farmers with cold hands -460°F All atomic motion stops Shetlanders stamp their feet and blow on their hands -500°F Hell freezes over Scotland will support England in the World cup **********************************************************************

Love the pics If only we could get rid of 80% of the rain here we would be unrivalled

Santander (the old Abbey) and the Post Office have 0% for overseas purchases but Nationwide now charge 1% on all purchases outwith Europe. Most, if not all, others charge between 2.5 and 3% on purchases. Avoid withdrawing cash as it is very expensive! If you are appyling, don't leave it until the last minute - some 50% of applications are rejected. We're off to the US (again!) in 2 weeks and it will be the same as before: 1,5 and 10 dollar notes (for the endless tipping that's needed + a zero per cent card. We also take a couple of hundred in extra dollars just in case there is a problem with the card. Be sure to tell Customer Services of the card firm where you are going and when. This should avoid their security systems blocking the card because of overeas usage. Final point. Be on guard for overseas shops, hotels etc wanting to convert the cost back into sterling for you. It's the way they make money and give a very poor exchange rate. Insist the bill is charged in dollars and your bank will convert at a much better rate. Enjoy your trip

An inch of snow in the past hour! We only got rid of 10 weeks' worth at the beginning of the month. The daffs are looking suicidal tonight

Thank you! Useless piece of information for the day: Only 2 of the gramophones have 'volume' controls. These are little folding doors you have to shut to din the noise! The others need something stuffed into the horns. This method is thought to be the origin of the phrase 'put a sock in it' as a sock in the horn makes them much quieter. The things you learn on this website